Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Some people look at Raleigh's new-for-2012 offerings - the Roper and the Furley (what's up with the Three's Company references?) - and conclude that Raleigh is getting serious about cyclocross. I look at them and see bikes for the rest of us.

They're steel, take wide tires, have fender and rack mounts, and disc brakes. The components are high quality - the Roper has FSA cranks and Shimano 105 derailers. I love what Urban Velo had to say about the Roper: "The Roper is a bike that I'd expect to see from a much smaller operation than Raleigh; it is more similar to the bikes you see bike geeks build up for themselves from some obscure frame maker than that offered by a major manufacturer."

The Furley is a single-speed with a little different set-up, but same general idea. It goes for $820 at Revolution Cycles. Like the Roper, the Furley has fender and rack mounts and space for wide tires. You know what a bike geek might do with this baby? Swap the drops for mustache bars and add an 8-speed internal gear hub for a really cool all-arounder.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Trek announced today that they will discontinue production of aluminum and carbon fiber frames after 2012. They cited the primary reason is lack of demand for aluminum and carbon fiber frames in the North American market. "US consumers just aren't concerned with lightweight frames anymore, since the difference in weight between an aluminum frame and steel one is an almost-full water bottle." said an un-named source. "Consumers are looking for steel frames that will last them a lifetime, and we're going to sell carbon frames anymore, since they don't fit that need."

Clearly this a big turn of events for Trek. For those looking for that that carbon fiber look, they will start offering special faux-fiber paint effects for fork and seat posts.